Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthopedic shoe appliances specifically adapted to supporting those segments of the foot requiring stability and allowing other segments to move freely that are meant to move as the foot moves through its phases of gait.
Description of Related Art
When a person ambulates, the foot is required to serve two essential roles. As the heel contact the ground, the foot functions as a mobile adapter to the terrain and as a shock absorber. This is commonly referred to as pronation. As the foot moves forward, the big toe moves upward, in coordination with the forward movement of the opposite arm, to help the foot to become much more stable through the windlass mechanism that causes the bone structure to assume a much more closely packed position, thereby enhancing the stability of the foot. This is commonly referred to as supination. This change of the foot bone structure is necessary as the foot serves two essentially opposite roles in the course of ambulation.
Improper foot structure may cause pain in the foot or inefficient ambulation. To correct such defects and alleviate pains, many orthopedic devices (orthopedic appliances) have been developed. These orthopedic appliances may be designed to correct specific types of foot problems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,159, issued to Weiss, discloses an insole having an extension under the first and fifth toes and a heel post to correct for an inverted heel. The device provides for added correction in these areas to control malposition of the foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,750, issued to Delport, discloses an insole applied to footwear that has various support features and goes from the heel to the metatarsals. It supports the entire foot and does not contain any areas where there is no material under the foot from the metatarsals to the heel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,472, issued to Tager, discloses a compensatory corrective orthopedic foot device comprising a series of differentially sized, geometrically shaped, and specifically configured, generally wedge-shaped prosthetic devices that are used in compensatory treatments of specific clinical structural abnormalities of a human foot.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0242860, by Canvin, discloses an insole as part of a footwear that comprises a metatarsal insert and a combined heel and arch insert. This is a full length insole with different materials having differing durometers to accommodate different support areas targeted by this insole.
While the above identified prior art devices are useful for correcting various foot problems, there is still a need for orthopedic appliances that can provide further correction of foot defects